With the benefits of eating more plant-based foods becoming more and more well known, many people are intrigued about whether a vegan diet could work for them. However, it can be quite daunting to completely overhaul your diet and lifestyle, without knowing where to begin. So, we’re here with 4 simple shortcuts that will enable you to make positive changes without it feeling overwhelming, which is when you’d be less likely to stick to it. 

Plan One Vegan Evening Meal Per Week

Trying to think of 7 new vegan meals to cook each week just isn’t feasible for most people, so instead, we’d recommend that you start with one fully vegan evening meal per week. There are so many Instagram accounts, websites and recipe books with delicious, easy-to-make recipes for you to explore. When it’s only once a week to begin with, you’re more likely to stick to it, then each week you’ll discover a new recipe that you get more familiar with, and can gradually work those into your weekly routine until you’re eating more vegan meals than plant based ones. 

Here is some inspiration to help get you started whilst also showing you how delicious and easy vegan food can be: 

• “Marry Me” butter beans 
• Three bean chilli with rice and salsa 
• Vegan mac and cheese with a maple and mustard side salad
• Dhal with sticky rice 
• Lentil bolognaise with pasta and garlic bread
• Black bean and mushroom enchiladas 
• Vegetable stir fry with tofu or meat alternative
• Falafel wraps with sweet potato fries
• Sweet potato and chickpea curry 
• Veggie avocado caesar salad 

You can eat so many of your normal meals but just make small tweaks to make them vegan, or you can try something completely different to see just how great vegan food can be! 

Add More Beans To Your Foods

Another great way to gradually reduce the amount of meat you’re eating is to add more beans to your diet. Reducing the meat in a recipe and adding more beans will help you to move towards a plant based diet, as well as saving you money! With anything like a stew, chilli, soup, salad or pasta dish, this is so simple to do and will help to ease you into eating less meat whilst still maintaining protein levels, and also increasing the amount of fibre and nutrients you’re consuming. Beans are an affordable superfood that shouldn’t be underestimated!

Try Vegan Foods When Eating Out 

If you struggle for inspiration when it comes to vegan food, or you’re simply wanting to try to eat more plant-based foods, then we’d highly recommend trying vegan foods when you’re eating out. Someone else is doing all the hard work for you, and when cooked by a good vegan chef, you’ll see how incredible vegan food can be! It could inspire some ideas of what you can cook at home, as well as meaning you don’t have to disrupt your routine at all as you simply pick something else!

Whether you’re out for breakfast, stopping off for a coffee and cake, or going out for a full meal, try picking something vegan, as it’s such an easy way to make that adjustment towards eating more plant-based foods, or a full vegan diet. 

Change Your Milk and Yogurt 

When direct, delicious swaps are available, that’s the best way to gradually move towards a vegan diet, and that’s possible when it comes to your milk and yogurts. There are so many delicious plant-based milks and yogurts out there, so each week try something new and find what works for you. 

In terms of yogurt, there are so many options out there, from soy to coconut and oat, and it’s as simple as picking up this tub instead of your dairy version when you’re at the shop.  Eat as you usually would, whether it’s with granola and fruit in the morning, adding a scoop of plain yogurt into a savoury dish or adding to a smoothie. 

Adjusting your diet one step at a time is key to maintaining a plant-based diet, and the delicious options for vegan milks and yogurts are a great place for you to begin this journey! If you try one version and don’t like it, don’t give up, as all plant-based milks and yogurts offer something a bit different so give more a try. 

In terms of milks, many people opt for oat milk, as it’s high in nutrients, low in sugar (as long as you choose a no-added sugar version) and it’s so delicious, with a really creamy flavour. Many people opt for oat milk over cow’s milk for this reason, especially in their hot drinks! If you get milk deliveries, many providers like Mc Queens Dairies now offer oat milk deliveries in glass bottles too, so this is another simple swap you can make without it affecting your daily life.